Reminiscent of the movie WALLEE...we\'ll all become useless fat slobs carried around by these things constantly and never have to actually DO anything.

Was about to make the same comment as paulgo... this is not progress, this is decline...

I guess you have to have vision to see the benefits. What if you arrived at the hospital sick as a dog, or with a broken foot, etc. Just think of how convenient and helpful it would be to have this device at the entrance. Sit down and give it your destination. Or have about handicapped individuals in the grocery store, or even their own home. What about transport from one end of the air terminal to the other. There are many uses for this technology that I can see. How about you?

Nope. That\'s what wheelchairs are for.

Absolutely Brilliant! Bravo.

The time is right to start accommodating these types of personal-mobility devices. With our increasing gas prices and growing traffic-congestion crises, not to mention air-pollution problems, we\'ve got to get more urban travelers out of their cars.... especially the SOV (Single Occupant Vehicles).
Unless we provide a way for urban travelers to use these types of devices or non-car modes of transport a safe, convenient, and comfortable way to get around cities, we will not coax a significant number of these travelers out of their cars.
In my book, THE PET SOLUTION, I explain my theories and introduce a new concept for urban infrastructure.... physically-separated, dedicated lanes, for non-car modes of transport, including these types of vehicles/devices, pedestrians, bicyclists, etc.
www.petsolutiononline(dot)com
Randy Leong

Interesting. Lots of opportunities for thinking up uses for this unit....but......is there any point in making comments [as in the others], that have already been made in the article? Always good to see a positive-thinking reaction such that as from MSG, US Army [Retired]!

I\'m with the Master Sargeant. This might be an evolution and improvement of the wheelchair. It has a tighter turn radius, will keep patient in an upright posture as he/she goes up ramps. The only advantage I see wrt the larger radius ball underneath is that it will smooth out small bumps. Otherwise, I think 3 or 4 smaller, vertically dynamic wheels underneath would do just as well. The Segway type balancing aspect is overrated and unnecessary, imho. I reserve overall judgment until I see it in operation, but there are some good aspects to it.

I don\'t know if some of you have ever had a sickness where you need a wheel chair but they suck. I have been so sick, fevered that I barely can function let alone navagate a wheel chair. So Paul Jensen\'s comment to use a wheel chair makes me think he hasn\'t ever had to use one. I would love to be able to sit down tell it where to go and relax versus my poor husband having to try to figure out what wing of the hospital we need to be in; hold my son\'s hand and try not to lose him etc.

hello. very good comment regarding hospitals. the length from one wing to another can encompass a city block. the point of the transport to me was hands free, as depicted, working social media, while care free. programming destination with radar telemetry had me think of one store in the mall to another.